This week’s Immigration Blog Roundup will cover national policy, new research, state news, and more.
While the U.S. and Cuba intend to continue holding periodic negotiations on immigration issues twice a year, their talks that were scheduled for early December in Havana have been pushed back to February.
In her statement to the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, Department of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano reiterated her commitment to work with Congress to push for comprehensive immigration reform in early 2010. Several immigrant advocates respond here.
In a written request to Secretary of State Clinton and DHS Secretary Napolitano, a group of organizations have asked for the termination of the National Security Entry, Exit Registration System (NSEERS) which requires nonimmigrant males from predominantly Muslim-majority countries to register at ports of entry and at local immigration offices where they were fingerprinted, photographed, and subjected to lengthy questioning.
According to a legal database Justice Sotomayor’s opinion in the case Mohawk Industries v. Carpenter, No. 08-678, released earlier this week, marked the first use of the term “undocumented immigrant" as opposed to the term "illegal immigrant" which has appeared a dozen times.
Part of the nonpartisan Denver University Strategic Issues Program, a DU panel of experts have outlined 25 specific recommendations for immigration reform detailed in their recently released report (PDF) “Architecture for Immigration Reform: Fitting the Pieces of Public Policy.”
A steady flow of new immigrants into major metropolitan areas have cushioned the population losses from the migration of native-born Americans to interior parts of the U.S. in search of jobs and more affordable housing which is good news for places like Chicago, Miami, New York, and Los Angeles ahead of the 2010 census.
The Arizona Supreme Court has dismissed the League of Arizona Cities and Towns’ constitutional challenge to budget law provisions on immigration enforcement that toughen and expand existing prohibitions on providing services to illegal immigrants.
Lastly, to highlight the work of the Immigration Policy Center and their research on the significance of immigrants, Latinos, and Asians as economic and political forces in Wisconsin:
- The 2008 purchasing power of Latinos totaled $5.3 billion and Asian buying power totaled $3.0 billion in Wisconsin in 2007.
- If all unauthorized immigrants were removed from Wisconsin, the state would lose $2.6 billion in expenditures, $1.2 billion in economic output, and approximately 14,579 jobs.
- 41.2% of immigrants in 2007 (or 103,291 people) in Wisconsin were naturalized U.S. citizens who are eligible to vote.
